Decorative support and method of mounting

ABSTRACT

A guide light having an electrically connected low level light source and power blades supported in an insulating casing is made decorative by the mounting to the casing of the guide light a frame for support of decorative elements and by supporting decorative elements from this frame. The frame has side and bottom walls in the form of a stirrup conforming to and embracing the casing of the guide light. The frame extends between a forward and rear decorative element. The frame and forward and rear walls together comprise a cup in which the casing is held and from which the light source and power blades extend.

United States Martin et a1.

atent 1 [54] DECORATIVE SUPPORT AND METHOD OF MOUNTING [75] Inventors: Robert L. Martin, Cranston; Lawrence P. Mellyn, Glocester, both of RI.

[73] Assignee: General Electric Company [22] Filed: June 23, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 265,683

[451 May 22, 1973 D205,371 7/1966 Mellyn D48/2O E D178,438 7/1956 Walker et al ...D48/20 E DlO7,2l7 11/1937 Charette ..D48/2O B [5 7 ABSTRACT A guide light having an electrically connected low level light source and power blades supported in an insulating casing is made decorative by the mounting to the casing of the guide light a frame for support of decorative elements and by supporting decorative elements from this frame. The frame has side and bottom walls in the form of a stirrup conforming to and embracing the casing of the guide light. The frame extends between a forward and rear decorative element. The frame and forward and rear walls together comprise a cup in which the casing is held and from which the light source and power blades extend.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures DECORATIVE SUPPORT AND METHOD OF MOUNTING CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Guide light and night light articles are known in the art. Generally they provide a low level of lighting sufficient to permit persons in their residences to move about during night hours with an increased measure of safety and security. The guide light articles generally have a low level of illumination and these lights are useful in providing a reference location within a home so that the occupants can guide their movements by knowledge of the location of the guide light. Night lights provide a somewhat higher level of illumination as set out in co-pending application Ser. No. 265426 referenced above.

Where guide lights are more decorative, their acceptance for use in a larger number of locations in a home is enhanced and such decorative lighting articles accordingly have greater value to homeowners for use in locations where they conform to the decor of the home.

There are, of course, numerous decorative themes which can be employed in enhancing the decoration of guide light and night light articles. One problem in providing a number of different decorative themes for guide light articles as described in co-pending application Ser. No. 2658 16 is that of limiting the cost of tooling for the decorative as well as for the utilitarian portions of such articles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is according one object of the present invention to provide a method of mounting decorative elements to guide lights.

Another object is to provide a mounting structure by which a variety of decorative elements may be mounted to a common guide light.

A further object is to provide a guide light having support for decorative elements to be mounted thereto.

The present invention, in one embodiment thereof, provides a guide light having a low level electric light source mounted in a supporting casing, and a pair of parallel electric blades supported in and extending from the casing. A frame for supporting decorative elements in position to receive illumination from the light source includes a stirrup having side walls generally parallel to the parallel blades and having the light source extending up from the top of said stirrup.

The stirrup frame extends between and is bonded to generally parallel forward and rear decorative panels, the rear panel having an opening through which the parallel blades project.

The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent, and the invention itself will be more fully understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled guide light article illustrating one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of parts in a pre-assembly arrangement with one of the parts turned from its position in the explosion to illustrate its reverse side.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the assembled guide light article of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a partial vertical section of a detail of the decorative elements and frame assembled to a guide light.

guide light article of DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A guide light article 10 has a low level electric light source 12 supported in an insulating casing 14. The casing is shown molded at least partially about the light source 10 in the exemplification shown but may be molded only about the base of the light source or otherwise fonned to support the light source in a generally upright orientation. A pair of parallel power blades 16 are also supported in and extend from casing 14. Internal electrical connections, not shown, between the blades 16 and bulb 12 are also provided to energize the light source when the blades 16 are plugged into a conventional convenience receptacle.

A frame 20 in the general form of a stirrup has bottom wall 22, side walls 24 and 26, and upper inwardly extending lips 28 and 30. The frame 20 may be formed as a separate piece or may conveniently be formed, as shown, integrally with a decorative panel 32. In the illustrative exemplification shown, panel 32 is seen to be generally planer and to have a decorative outline resembling that of a small fish.

The panel and frame conform closely to the form of the lower or base portion 15 of casing 14. When the base is inserted in the frame 20 and against panel 32, the guide light 10 is held snuggly against movement in all directions except outward, away from panel 32.

A rear decorative panel 34 is provided with a decorative outline resembling alarger fish, and with a blade opening 36 in a lower portion 38. Blade opening 36 permits the blades 16 of guide light 10 to project through and out of the back of panel 34 so that the blades can be conveniently plugged into a conventional receptacle.

Panel 34 may also be provided with a recess 40 bordering opening 36 so that base 15 may nest more securely in place against lower portion 38 of back panel 36, when the back panel 36 is closed against frame 20. The presence of recess 40 also permits blades 16 to extend back of panel 36 by essentially the full measure needed for power blades to be employed in conjunction with conventional wall receptacles.

The area of lower portion 38 of back panel 34, which is contacted as frame 20 is assembled to the panel, is outlined in phantom around 40. To assemble frame 20 to panel 34 ultrasonic bonding, solvent bonding or other conventional attachment methods may be employed. When the front panel 32 is firmly bonded through frame 20 to rear panel 34, the edges of the front panel may be gripped in the fingers of those using the decorative guide light article, as a handle for inserting blades 16 into or removing them from a convenience wall receptacle or other source of electric power.

Panel 32 is referred to as the forward panel and panel 34 as the rear panel because these are the respective locations of these panels with reference to a viewer of the decorative guide light in its normal use position in a wall receptacle. In other words, panel 32 will normally be nearer a viewer and panel 34 further away.

It will be realized that the forward panel 32 need not be in the form of a fish and that likewise rear panel 34 need not have the fish form of the exemplification shown. Rather the decorative form of the panels may be any of a wide variety of alternatives. The more general relationship of a frame 20 extending between an attached forward panel 32 and our attached rear panel 4 34 and holding a guide light casing 14 so that blades 16 extend back through the back panel and a light source 12 extends up from the frame is illustrated in FIG. in a more representative form.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A decorative guide light article comprising a low level light source,

said source being mounted in a supporting casing,

said casing also supporting parallel blade conductors extending from said casing,

electrical connections between said blades and said light source,

a forward decorative panel for assembly to said casing on a side opposite said blades,

a rear decorative panel for assembly to said casing on the side adjacent said blades a frame in the form of a stirrup conforming to and embracing said casing and extending in support relation between said forward and rear decorative panels.

2. The article of claim 1 in which the stirrup is formed integrally with one of the decorative panels.

3. The article of claim 1 in which the stirrup is formed integrally with the forward panel and the rear panel has a casing receiving recess about a blade open- 2 ing.

4. The article of claim 1 in which the light source extends up through a top opening of said frame. 

1. A decorative guide light article comprising a low level light source, said source being mounted in a supporting casing, said casing also supporting parallel blade conductors extending from said casing, electrical connections between said blades and said light source, a forward decorative panel for assembly to said casing on a side opposite said blades, a rear decorative panel for assembly to said casing on the side adjacent said blades a frame in the form of a stirrup conforming to and embracing said casing and extending in support relation between said forward and rear decorative panels.
 2. The article of claim 1 in which the stirrup is formed integrally with one of the decorative panels.
 3. The article of claim 1 in which the stirrup is formed integrally with the forward panel and the rear panel has a casing receiving recess about a blade opening.
 4. The article of claim 1 in which the light source extends up through a top opening of said frame. 